Managing a Trois: a study of a multi-user drawing tool in distributed design work

Abstract

A multi-user drawing tool was used by participants in a distributed design exercise conducted in a multi-media working environment. The goal of the study was to explore how observations from our earlier studies of shared drawing in two-person design activity would hold up when three participants worked together. Additionally, the study provided opportunities to contrast video/audio connections with audio-only connections and to discover new behaviours that emerge in the use of new technologies. Participants successfully used the shared drawing system with no observed difficulties attributable to the addition of a third user. Audio-only connections appeared to adequately suppofi this work activity, but details of the participants'interactions in the exercise raised questions that deserve further study. Finally, observations suggest that drawing tools such as the one reported here may offer support for alternative forms of participation in collaborative work